Severe storm brings Sydney’s wettest day in 2 years, flash flooding, traffic chaos and 1 000 lightning strikes per hour
A cold front swept through parts of Australia's New South Wales on Friday afternoon (local time), September 7, 2018, producing severe thunderstorms with 1 000 lightning strikes per hour and dropping heavy rain and a lot of hail. For parts of Sydney, it was the wettest day in more than two years.
Most of the rain fell in the western and southwestern parts of the Sydney basin. Weather stations in Bankstown measured 58 mm (2.28 inches) of rain between 17:21 and 18:21 local time, Friday, including 18 mm (0.70 inches) in just 10 minutes. Within 24 hours, the suburb measured a total of 67 mm (2.63 inches). During the same 60 minutes, Milperra measured 45 mm (1.77 inches) of rain. Heavy rain was also reported in nearby suburbs of Canterbury and Liverpool.
"The figures made Friday the wettest day for Bankstown since June 2016 and the wettest September day for the suburb in 12 years," said Craig McIntosh, a Weatherzone meteorologist. "These type of storms can completely drench one suburb and totally miss the next," he said.
BOM registered lightning strikes at a rate of 1 000 per hour in the 50 km (31 miles) radius around Sydney.
The NWS SES received 162 calls for assistance, mainly for leaky roofs and localized flash flooding.
Heavy rain and intense hail caused flash flooding on roads, causing traffic chaos on the roads. Railway services were also affected after several damaging lightning strikes. Sydney Airport reported significant delays as a result of the weather, the airport spokesman said.
The front moved out to the Tasman Sea on Saturday.
Flash flooding near Sydney airport. Taken before cars were stranded pic.twitter.com/LBwqOnWz1b
— Alexandra Smith (@AlexSmithSMH) September 7, 2018
Lightning strikes damaging equipment have delayed some services on some lines this evening.
To see if this affects your trip, please visit https://t.co/66EgL30jVd https://t.co/2pfh88Bp9E
— Trains Info (@TrainsInfo) September 7, 2018
Our NSW SES volunteers are out tonight responding to 162 emergency calls. Rain has eased but please drive safely as there’s still water about and remember to slow to 40 around our volunteers as they work to keep them safe. pic.twitter.com/GNl78FNlZe
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) September 7, 2018
Lightning strikes at a rate of about one 1000 per hour have been observed in the 50 kilometre radius around #Sydney, as storms continue to move across part of #NSW. Severe weather #warnings remain in place and are being regularly updated: https://t.co/oA1WJSQBim pic.twitter.com/P7xnClfvSg
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) September 7, 2018
Not my picture, completely stolen.. But wow…. #sydneystorm pic.twitter.com/c4jIBBdZxg
— Nobody Special (@yatayee) September 7, 2018
#SydneyStorm hail is deeper than I’ve ever eeen it. pic.twitter.com/hfzXPd6bDh
— Buckleup (@buckleup) September 7, 2018
From now on I'm always carrying a pair of thongs and a cozzie. @T3SydneyTrains #sydneystorm pic.twitter.com/sOMnlNLKvT
— Josip Potocki (@joeyjaypee) September 7, 2018
Whoops. Serious flooding in Town Hall station. #sydneystorm #SydneyWeather #sydneytrains pic.twitter.com/kvczT0dGmQ
— Allison Hore (@AllisonM_H) September 7, 2018
Let it snow let it snow let snow – near Ashfield #sydneystorm pic.twitter.com/3ZnD2pTvlt
— Buckleup (@buckleup) September 7, 2018
#Sydneystorm our backyard at Canterbury after the Sydney hail storm pic.twitter.com/wZ6gRZv3fg
— Kevin Brennan (@kdmbrennan) September 7, 2018
A mate sent this video of Campsie from the hail tonight. Neat! #sydneystorm pic.twitter.com/V8VxAUDucJ
— liezl (@VivinkArt) September 7, 2018
Spoke too soon. Landed right before #sydneystorm. Now sitting for past two hours on the tarmac through the lightning storm at Sydney Airport pic.twitter.com/0OEiggcvg5
— Kara Hinesley (@karahinesley) September 7, 2018
Just a usual Sydney Storm! #sydneystorm #hail #storm #sydney pic.twitter.com/iw3P7Xcg58
— Lauren Cheung (@miss_lcheung) September 7, 2018
Hail and and incredible lightening storm in Sydney. In a cab on the way to @AustCollEd awards and it is so heavy the driver can’t hear me. pic.twitter.com/vjuZ03waYP
— Alexandra Smith (@AlexSmithSMH) September 7, 2018
Featured image: Lauren Cheung
It is now the fifth month and the feast of the harvest will soon be hear for those who feel shamed. For breaking Gods laws! but for all of those who dount this hammer of lightning hail and rain! Is for you and even up in your nighbor nations and as you can see, the lord is real and he will fight for the Heeboos as you called us In those days when our for fathers were being inslaved. You should not have touched the children of God and then went beyond the punishment that was do even upon them, so now God will also go beyond your own punishment and he will even fight for his own cause Australia! Act7:5-7. Isaiah 50:1-11